Subject: 4TH OF JULY
As we look forward to bar-b-cue and fireworks, please read this!
A few thoughts to consider as we celebrate the upcoming 4th of July
celebration.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the
Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before
they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons
serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary
War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their
Sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were
farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they
signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty
would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships
swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his
family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his
family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty
as his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton,
Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General
Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly
urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and
Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his
wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13
children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to
waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to
find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from
exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were
not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means
and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing
tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this
declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence,
we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred
honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America.
The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the
Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British
subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some
of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a
few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these
patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember freedom is never free!
I hope you will show your support by please sending this to as many people
as you can. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and
the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball
games.This e-mail was sent to me by my friend from the National Guard, LTC
Dan Bloodworth. I think that it says something that many of us, me included,
may not have remembered enough. I would like to add a thought and comment of
my own.
In addition to being blessed by the wonderful patriots of the Declaration of
Independence, 13 years later our forefathers selected George Washington to
be our first President. Had he wished, George Washington could have been
King! There was a strong sentiment to go with a monarchy because that was a
known system of government. After the constitution was approved, George
Washington could have been president for life but chose to leave the office
after 2 terms. Beginning a custom that lasted over 100 years. How many other
new nations have been blessed with such wisdom? Just look at the records in
South America, Africa, and Asia.
Despite the ACLU and courts, this is truly a time to say "THANK GOD FOR THE
USA!!!"
As we look forward to bar-b-cue and fireworks, please read this!
A few thoughts to consider as we celebrate the upcoming 4th of July
celebration.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the
Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before
they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons
serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary
War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their
Sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were
farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they
signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty
would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships
swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his
family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his
family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty
as his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton,
Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General
Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly
urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and
Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his
wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13
children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to
waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to
find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from
exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were
not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means
and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing
tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this
declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence,
we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred
honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America.
The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the
Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British
subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some
of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a
few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these
patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember freedom is never free!
I hope you will show your support by please sending this to as many people
as you can. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and
the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball
games.This e-mail was sent to me by my friend from the National Guard, LTC
Dan Bloodworth. I think that it says something that many of us, me included,
may not have remembered enough. I would like to add a thought and comment of
my own.
In addition to being blessed by the wonderful patriots of the Declaration of
Independence, 13 years later our forefathers selected George Washington to
be our first President. Had he wished, George Washington could have been
King! There was a strong sentiment to go with a monarchy because that was a
known system of government. After the constitution was approved, George
Washington could have been president for life but chose to leave the office
after 2 terms. Beginning a custom that lasted over 100 years. How many other
new nations have been blessed with such wisdom? Just look at the records in
South America, Africa, and Asia.
Despite the ACLU and courts, this is truly a time to say "THANK GOD FOR THE
USA!!!"